I love to read books on how to do things. It provides me with all sorts of information and ideas based on the work of others who have already gone through the process and mastered various skills. However, it is by jumping in and getting my hands dirty (literally, in pottery) that I am able to assimilate the information and develop my own set of skills. Since I last blogged, I have had the opportunity to work on a healthy number of skills and, though I am far from mastering any of them, I can say that I have learned a great deal.
Last night, I
The final bit of my learning curve from this past week was in getting back the casserole I had glazed last week (remember the flying saucer???). First, the glaze did not exactly turn out the way I envisioned it, although it was not horrible. The real problem was with the lid. Apparently, in my zeal to produce lighter, thinner work, I made the lid too thin and it cracked on top (I can see daylight when I hold it up!) and, in trying to make the lid fit close to perfect, I did not account for the clay expanding in the final firing and it no longer fits the bottom. It is close enough that I think I can maybe grind the lip to make it fit and I will then use it - it is not something that I would be willing to sell, even as a second.
One final note - I went to visit my mom and see my brother and sister and their families last weekend in Arlington, Virginia. While I was there, I had a chance to go visit the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. This World War II torpedo factory on the river has been converted into three floors of artist studios where the public can come in a see the artists at work, purchase original art pieces, and even participate in seminars and lessons. If you are ever in the Northern Virginia area, I highly recommend checking it out. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the pottery studios and meeting and talking with David Cowdrill, a potter who was manning the Kiln Club's annual exhibition.
This upcoming weekend should provide time for working on another possible piece for the North Carolina Pottery Center exhibition in Seagrove as well as building my inventory of items for a sale in Halifax in April during the celebration of the signing of the Halifax Resolves.
No comments:
Post a Comment